Calling Bluffs
by Mayhem N. Jeans
Summary: When Pierce and Jaesa are left alone and bored aboard the Fury, they decide to go on a get rich quick scheme, when Pierce enters Jaesa into a 'prodder' competition (similar to poker). As the night progresses and escalates, the pair become closer and closer, realizing that they have a lot more in common with each other than they would have imagined.
1. Chapter 1

Jaesa and Pierce

Everything was quiet aboard the Fury. Lord Soarise Grae and Captain Malavai Quinn had wandered off to do something or another, Vette was out conning old artifacts to rich old men, and Broonmark had been struck with the sudden primal urge to go back to Hoth for some pilgrimage hunt. That left only Jaesa Willsaam and Lieutenant Pierce on board. The silence was awkward. Pierce had made a habit of avoiding Jaesa, as it seemed every time he was around her, she would stare through him with her eerie gold eyes while making snarky comments. Jaesa simply behaved as if she felt he was no more than an Imperial dog trained to do tricks and that he was nothing special. He had the view that she was a somewhat psychotic Sith wannabe. So, they avoided each other.

But still, the boredom was stifling. Pierce sat at the main table in the lounge, sabaac cards in hand as he shuffled them. He was trying to play some game the guys on his old team would; he couldn't quite remember the name of it, but the goal of the game was to bluff and act as though you had a better hand than you did. Of course, this was impossible to practice alone, so he was now just idly staring at the intricate illustrations on the cards.

An eerie feeling grew on the back of his neck, the hairs pricking. He was being watched. Slowly, Pierce turned around to see Jaesa standing in the doorway of her room. She usually spent her time meditating next to the kolto tank, something in the humming and bubbling made it easier to do so. Rarely did she come out of her little nook. But there she was, watching him with curiosity. Gruffly, he nodded at her. She dipped her head gracefully in return. Pierce looked back at his card, the krayt dragon on it snarling viciously.

Suddenly, Jaesa sat next to him, startling him. He glanced at her in surprise as she glided into the seat. She sat primly, folding her hands on the table. "What are you… playing?" she asked, slowly, as though she wasn't sure how to phrase the question. Or sure of how to talk to someone she wasn't about to kill. At least, Pierce hoped the latter was true.

"I'm not sure, in all honesty," he answered. Great, more reasons for her to believe he was dumb. She picked the first card off the top of the deck, a flock of mynocks, and studied it.

"These cards are lovely," she said to his surprise, "You can really see the beauty of these predators in them," Jaesa shuffled through the deck, taking a moment to study each one, "Oh, I like this one," She smiled holding the one in her hand- a nexu mother with its cubs as they pounced at an unseen victim, "Where did you get these?"

"Yeah?" Pierce replied, shocked by her interest, "Well, I got them from an old mate of mine after he got blown up on a mission,"

"A shame," he shrugged it off, "What is the goal of your game?"

He laughed, "I think you'll like it. You try to bluff that you have a better deck while raising the stakes in hopes of winning more credits. Meanwhile, you can call out the bluffs of other players to get their money too,"

"A game of deciphering deception?" She grinned more, something that really wasn't as scary as he'd always imagined it would be, "I am a master already and do not even know the name,"

"I'm thinking it's called prodder or something. They have huge competitions of it in the big casinos, monumental prizes,"

"Prodder? I've seen the nobles playing that back on Alderaan…" She mused over a distant bittersweet memory, "I was never allowed to play. My mother wouldn't let me for she feared I would become addicted to gambling even before my power manifested. The nobles knew I was good at seeing through ruses, so they never would have let me join anyways,"

"Well, your mother was right to fear. My uncle lost our family's entire homestead by gambling it away. We was homeless on Dromund Kaas for months 'fore he could buy it back,"

"How terrible," Jaesa touched his hand sympathetically, "But I have no fear of losing,"

They sat quietly for a minute, "Huh…" Pierce said, amused.

"What is it you find funny?" Jaesa asked him.

"It's silly, I s'pose," he shook his head, "But what if you entered into one of the competitions? Could win us quite the hefty cash prize, you know."

She laughed. Also not as scary as he would have thought, "Not a bad idea…But they would recognized me as Sith in a heartbeat,"

"Not if we dressed you up properly like a socialite. Fancy dress, gaudy jewelry, you'd fit in perfectly, I think. You go in, make them weep, take the money, and BAM we're rich!" He watched as she slouched back in her seat, lost in thought.

"Well, the idea of puling the wool over the scum's eyes as we knock them down a few notches is very alluring…" she said, thoughtfully, "And Nar Shaddaa is not that far from here, which I'm sure is where the main competitions would be,"

"Then it's settled!" Pierce announced, clapping his hands, "We'll go out for the night and be back richer before Lord Grae returns. Better than sitting 'round here slowly dying of boredom," he got up to get ready to leave.

"I hope our endeavor does not cause trouble…" She said slowly, but followed him.


	2. Chapter 2

Jaesa followed Pierce as they navigated the thick pedestrian traffic. She had never been to Nar Shaddaa before and the overwhelming feel of it was getting to her head. All around her, she could feel the emotions of everyone around her- greed, despair, lust, hopefulness, loss, and mistrust. Alien eyes stared at her, sharp and menacing. She felt naked in the cheap gown she had quickly bought, a simple lavender sheath dress, without her lightsaber. Pierce was at ease, so she drew off his confidence to fight her fear. He also wore civilian clothes, regular shirt and pants; she thought he looked so much smaller and less opposing now than he did in his tough armor. Still, she could see the faintest outline of his blaster beneath his jacket and knew he was just as dangerous as ever.

Should anything go awry, she felt certain he could take care of her. _Oh_, she scowled. She did not need such needy thoughts in her head. Should anything dangerous be about to happen, she would know. Also, Jaesa was Sith- there was no enemy here she could not handle, even without weapons, for she wielded the Force with deadly skill. In fact, she told herself, the lieutenant had better be hoping she would protect him in a worst case scenario. Nonetheless, she was glad he was here with her and kept close behind him.

Following the neon Aurebresh signs, they found where a prodding competition was being held. A tall casino illuminating in glowing signs and flashy images, crowds were pouring in and out. Some people looked happy, others, not so much. Blending into the crowd, the pair slipped inside. The lobby was huge, poshly decorated with plush carpets and busy paintings. The lights were a dim violet color, making the room seem all the more ominous. Jaesa tugged Pierce's arm, pulling him to a corner.

He furrowed his brow, "What's wrong, Jaesa?" he asked her. For a moment, she took note of how he had never said her name before. He said it with his thick Dromund Kaas accent, making it sound like "Jay-i-ssa". Brushing past those destructive thoughts, however, she looked up at him, "Pierce, I'm not entirely sure I can do this,"

"What, really?" he was not mocking her anxiety, "What had happened to _"I am Sith, I don't fear losing_?"

"Ah…a slight miscalculation of my personal esteem. There are so many people here, I just don't think I can handle them,"

Pierce sighed, "True, you're not much of a people person, even for Sith…"He looked around the room for inspiration, stroking his bearded chin, "Uh, well, hey. How 'bout this- you act like you can't speak Basic and I'm your personal translator. That way, I'll do the talking, you do the playing."

She contemplated this, "I commend you, lieutenant- good plan. I feel better. We just may pull off your crazy scheme,"

"Now, Jaesa," _Jay-i-ssa_, she heard in her head again. He put his large hands on her shoulders so she would look at him in the face, "Listen. This is a game of bluffing. Sure, you'll see if they're faking it, but they can tell if you are too. Just act cocky and superior, like usual. You have to be confident and intimidating. These people are just a load of spoiled bums looking for a rush. You're an incredible woman, really, you've just got to show 'em that," Jaesa nodded, surprised by his speech. For someone with such disdain for academics, he certainly had a way of altering her mood with words. Also, he said she was incredible, which made her feel strangely giddy and indestructible, "Now, let's go get 'em,"

Side by side, they walked to the registration table. The Twi'lek attendant looked at the pair in boredom, "Evening," he said lazily, "How may the Star Cluster Casino help your wildest dreams come true?" Jaesa glanced at Pierce, gauging his attitude. The man seemed calm, cool, and collected. Smooth, ready to handle any situation. Ruggedly handsome in a masculine brawny way, too. _No…_she scolded herself, _not again_!

Pierce was ready, "My mistress here," he gestured to her, "Is wanting to enter the prodding competition, but she doesn't understand a lick of Basic and I'm her translator and body guard, so I need to be with her. Can we make that possible?"

"No outside helpers. We have adequate translating technology and high security, she will be fine,"

Jaesa panicked and looked at Pierce, keeping silent. He glanced at her and smiled his crooked grin. Leaning down, he pressed the bulk of his weight down on to the registration table, purposely catching the Twi'lek's hand beneath his elbow. The Twi'lek winced at the pain, yelping. Pierce looked him very closely in the face, "No, that's not how I let things work. I have to be with her or else some very important people are going to become very angry. I really don't want to mention her position as the Hutt cartel's prized sponsor," The Twi'lek nodded fervently, carefully trying to pull his hand away, gulping.

"Pardon me, master, I'll make accommodations for you to join her, of course. Anything for the friends of the Cartel. Ow! M-my apologies!"

"'Pology accepted," Pierce released his hand. Rubbing it gingerly, the Twi'lek quickly signed them in. The registration fee acted as their opening stakes, a decent 200 credits. Pierce handed over the credits courteously, "Thank you for understanding," he said, winking mischievously at the attendant. The Twi'lek scowled at him, but waved them on.

Well into the crowd, Jaesa gently tugged his shoulder and whispered into his ear, "You were brilliant,"

"Just you wait and see, I've still yet to show you the best I can do," he whispered back.

"What?" she stopped and looked at him quizzically.

Either it was the lighting, or her imagination, but she was certain he was blushing, "I mean, with sweet talking these blokes around. That's what I meant, of course,"

"Of course," Jaesa replied, following close behind him. Deeper in the casino now, the loud techno music was pulsating around them as they made their way to the playing chamber. The music pumped in her ears, beating in time with her fast heartbeat. Lights flashed and dazzled around her, making her almost dizzy. She was so out of her element, away from the quietness of the ship, but the energy around her was so invigorating. She actually wanted to dance, but wasn't really sure how to make her feet move. So, she kept steadily behind Pierce.

Reaching the play chamber, a twin pair of Nikto guards stood. The left one looked at Pierce as he flashed Jaesa and his entry cards, and nodded, "Good luck, mistress," the guard growled throatily.

Before Jaesa could reply, Pierce cut her off, "She doesn't understand Basic, but I'm her translator. Ah… _forphgu ghurie fnjiueph ngreidjab,_" he said to her, rambling off random syllables of gibberish. For a second she stared at him, catching on. Turning to the guard, she smiled sweetly and replied "_Beirut eujiwapbfu bhirpeadj brhiepa_," Pierce looked to the guard, "She says thank you and may the fates smile upon your lovely face," Before she could laugh, he put his hand on her back and ushered her inside, "Told you the best was yet to come," he whispered. She grinned at his antics.

Inside the playing chamber sat a host of characters: a Rodian, two Zabraks, a Hutt and his droid, and three humans, one woman, two men. The woman looked as elegant as Jaesa wanted to feel, but she could feel her cold blue eyes boring into her as she sat down. Then the woman turned her attention to Pierce as he sat down next to Jaesa.

"Why, hello there, handsome," the woman said flirtatiously, appraising him with her icy eyes. Jaesa felt a green feeling in her stomach and glanced at Pierce.

"Hi," he said curtly, waving a little at her, clearly brushing her off. Jaesa felt a small triumph as the woman scowled and turned her attention back to the other men.

"Excuse me, excuse me, if I may have your attention?" a shiny protocol droid stood up at the head of the table, clapping his metal hands together like a chime, "This evening's game of prodding is about to begin. Let's start off by having our competitors introduce themselves,"

The Hutt garbled in his language and waited for the droid to translate, "May I introduce the mighty Herxog the Hutt, ruler of the Cartel in _all_ regions, despite what the other Hutt slime balls may claim,"

The Rodian introduced himself, and the Zabraks did as well. One of the men was already passed out from too much drink, but the other stood up, "I am Campbell, owner of Trion Industries," Jaesa was familiar with that industry; She had seen its insignia stamped on all of Vette's bright green toolboxes.

Now the woman's turn, "I am Retra," she said simply, leaving no room for questions. Beside her, Pierce perked up, his ears attuned to something.

"Oh," he said as he realized all eyes were on him, "This is Lady Bellus," he said standing up in a grand sweeping gesture to Jaesa, "And I am her personal translator," he sat back down.

'Thank you, thank you," the lead droid say, applauding again, "I will now open a fresh pack of cards and let the game begin," He did so, tearing open the packet with ceremonial flourish, then he passed around the cards.

Jaesa picked up her deck, disappointed to see these cards decorated with ludicrous floral patterns. Pierce's cards were much more handsome, she thought despondently. He was sitting, quietly, with his hands folded as to steer away any suspicion of cheating. Well, suspicion of him cheating, at least. She had a fair hand, she could work with it. Credits stacked on the table, Jaesa knew it was time to unleash her power. For a moment, she remembered her old master's warnings not to use her unique power like a crutch to get her way through life. Well, he's dead now, she told herself. Instead, she remembered Pierce's little speech of encouragement from a few minutes ago. Smoothing her face, putting away her normal inhibitions, she let her power go, her ability to see a person's true motivations.

Focusing her gaze on first the Rodian, she could see that he was simply trying to win some extra cash in order to pay off a debt. _Sorry, pal, not tonight_, she mentally told him as she realized his hand he had been dealt was worthless. The Zabraks were merely burning off some of the money they had won in past games, maybe get even richer. They still had a tiny chance of pressing on their winning streak, maybe.

The Hutt, though, he had a decent hand, but she felt his deception and anger. His goal here was not to play the game, but to confront the owner of the casino, anther Hutt. His plans were not peaceful; he was here to wait for a signal that the deadly deed was done.

She skipped past the unconscious man, now snoring. The other one was there, hoping for a little thrill, using his access to the treasury that Trion had allowed him. Ha, despite his smooth face, he had the worst hand one could get. Jaesa made a note to warn Vette that her favorite tool company was likely to become bankrupt.

Finally, the woman, Retra. Jaesa was surprised. The woman was a Republic general. A Republic general with some rather unsavory connections. Oh, how interesting, she thought gleefully.

For a second, she was tempted to look at Pierce, see how he was feeling. What his thoughts were, his feelings.._. Nope, nope, nope_, she told herself. She needed to respect his privacy as her friend. Still, would have been interesting.

The game continued smoothly. Jaesa was doing excellent, Pierce noted, always one step ahead of her opponents. She was calm now, a focused gleam in her golden eyes as she played like an old pro. Better yet, she would occasionally slip up to keep the others from suspecting her. Already, she had racked up over 3000 credits, the chips quickly stacking in her favor. He should have thought of this earlier. For a moment, he felt guilty though, using her extraordinary gift to benefit in such a way, cheating at a card game. He made a mental note to ask her if she was alright afterwards. For some reason, the idea of upsetting her made him feel small and worthless. But, she looked like she was having fun. It was healthy for her, wearing a pretty dress instead of those stuffy old robes and going out to do something besides mope in that dark old ship. Even though she had a sharp look, she also seemed serene and happy. Oh, he smiled as she proudly set her cards down, another 1500 creds for the pile. She grinned triumphantly. No, no, she was having a blast with this, no worries. Pierce felt an unusual warm feeling in his chest when he thought of how he helped her feel this way.

The overseer droid stood up, "Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, we will now call recess. For those of you who are either already lost or should get out while you can," he glanced at Campbell subtly, "Leave. The rest of you, meet back here in twenty minutes, thank you,"

Campbell and the Zabraks threw their cards down in defeat and shuffled out with much lighter wallets.

Pierce stood up when suddenly Retra bumped into him, "Oh, sorry!" she gushed, "Maybe I'm just attracted to you," she smiled at him with a ridiculous and drunk smile, toying with her stiff hair.

"Or you're clumsy because you're drunk," he replied coolly. Retra flinched at his disdain, but moved on. Jaesa stood next to him, and he led her out, "_Jurhuibgre, iuhpreu ieaphui nvjeiphaur_," he whispered to her, pointing and rolling his eyes at Retra. Jaesa chuckled. Retra pushed between them and out of the room, fuming.


	3. Chapter 3

Out in the main casino, music loud enough to ward off eavesdroppers, they sat together. Jaesa slowly nursed her drink as Pierce downed one after another, "That was quite an interesting experience seeing who those people really are," Jaesa said, absently, remembering them.

"What?" Pierce asked, cocking his ear. Jaesa scooted closer and leaned on his shoulder, repeating what she said into his ear, "Oh, I bet," he nodded, "Are you alright with doing this?" he asked her concerned.

"Absolutely," she replied, bobbing her head enthusiastically, "It's so fascinating! For example, did you know that Retra woman is a Republic general?"

He flinched, shaking his head, "I did know that," he said.

"How?" she asked, tilting her head waiting for his response.

"You remember that mate of mine who I got the cards from?" she nodded, "Well, that woman is the one responsible for coordinating the attack that blew him up, plus six other of my buddies, plus gave me this," he motioned to the scars on the side of his face, "Apparently, I lost my best friends- er, men- to a corrupted slutty Rep leader,"

"Oh…I see," she was quiet for a minute, "Well, I can think of a way to make her pay. I hate that she hurt you like that," Jaesa brushed his scarred cheek, feeling the rough edges beneath her fingertips. He looked at her in an odd way, his dark brown eyes were so deep, and it was almost like he was able to see everything she was holding back. For a moment, they were quiet, faces only inches apart. Time stood still and so did her heart for a second, pausing as if it was waiting to see what would happen.

"Oh…" he said, absently, shifting away suddenly. Jaesa's heart fell for a second, but she pulled it back, "Ah, we ought to get back to the game," he said, running his hand through his hair.

"Of course," she said quickly in agreement. They got up and hurried back to the playing chamber.

The remaining players were Herxog, Retra, the Rodian, and Jaesa. Pierce saw that the drunk man was still in there, sleeping on the bench. He supposed it was very polite of the Casino to let him stay there, though personally, Pierce would have had him thrown out. He glanced at Jaesa and could tell she was thinking the same thing. As they took their seats, Pierce focused on not wondering what had almost happened between him and Jaesa. In all honesty, he wasn't sure; being an admittedly good looking man, he had felt similar things before with other women, but never quite like that. That moment had been rather different, a whole other level. And he, also being an idiot it seemed, had freaked out. He had a thousand bruises from where he had been mentally kicking himself. And now, Jaesa was avoiding his gaze, embarrassed.

Well, for every bit she was embarrassed, he could guarantee he was ten times more.

The droid came in, opening a new pack of cards and the second round began.

As Jaesa studied her opponents' reactions, she became aware of some definite hostility in the air. Glancing at each of the players, she decided that Retra was the angriest one there. The Republic general glared across the table at Pierce, apparently still upset at how he had pushed away her approaches. _That makes two of us_, Jaesa thought bitterly. Still, the fact that that women was the one who put those scars on his face, it made her blood boil. Despite his bravado, Jaesa could tell he had been deeply hurt by that attack, not just physically but emotionally too.

Smugly, she called out Retra on her bluff, taking another 2000 credits from her. Ah, another small victory, she smiled wickedly at the general, who scowled back. She was reveling in her victories. These feelings of exhilaration were what the Jedi had been blocking her from for years. No matter what happened, she knew she would never go back to the old way of thinking- a still void in place of this marvelous chaotic cyclone of thoughts and sensations. Even as much as these strange thoughts of Pierce tormented her, she would never let them go for anything.

Time pressed on, Jaesa balancing between masterfully deceiving her opponents, playing dumb to ward off suspicion, and taking an occasional glance at Pierce. Next to her, he drummed his fingers, jiggled his knee, popped his joints, always moving and making some noise. She stared at him for a moment until he slowly stilled himself, looking sheepish. He was getting restless, she could tell, something bothering him. Once again, she was tempted to use her power to see exactly what he was feeling, but pushed the thought away. Already, she was feeling guilty enough over deceiving these people's privacy; she wouldn't do the same to her friend.

A strange feeling began pressing on the back of her head, suddenly, and Jaesa looked up. Something bad was about to happen. Gently, she touched Pierce's knee under the table so that he looked at her, arching his brow. He could tell from the look on her face that there was something wrong. But before either could properly register the situation, two blaster shots rang out, smashing the overseer droid's head off. The whole group looked up in shock at the drunk man, who was now standing up, quite sober, "You're time is up, Herxog. You've messed with the Cartel for the last time," the not drunk man said. Jaesa and Pierce watched in surprise as the assassin fired four shots, each one hitting the Hutt in the chest, leaving four smoking wounds in his fat body. Herxog screamed out pitifully, waving his stubby arms until he became still. The Hutt was dead. Crying out, the Rodian who had been sitting next to the Hutt, jumped out of his seat, and made a dash for the door. One shot fired, catching him in the back of his head. He fell in a dead crumpled pile. Jaesa gasped, clapping her hand over her mouth.

The remaining card players, Jaesa, Pierce, and Retra looked to the attacker. Pierce put his hand on Jaesa's shoulder, ready for action.

"Rodian should have known that was coming," the attacker said humorously with a sly smirk, "Now, sorry folks, but no witnesses," Retra gave a squeak of panic, but did not move. With excellent aim, the attacker fired at the security camera, destroying it. Pierce absently decided the man was some sort of ex-special ops from how good his shots were. Then, the attacker aimed the blaster at Jaesa.

Snapping into action, Pierce pushed her out of her seat. She landed sprawled on the floor, a smoking hole burned into the back of her seat where she had just been. Pierce launched himself across the table, slamming bodily into the assassin. Holding the attacker by the throat, Pierce lifted the smaller man easily into the air. But the lieutenant was accustomed to having heavy armor. Flailing, the assassin pulled out a small shiv knife. Jaesa screamed out, throwing him off balance, so that the knife only stabbed into Pierce's arm. With a grunt of pain, Pierce dropped him. The attacker grabbed his gun off the floor, aiming to Pierce's temple, ready to fire.

Jaesa stood up, energy surging around her, "No!" she yelled. The attacker looked at her, surprised that she could talk Basic and that there was a violet aura swarming around her. Her gold eyes glowed hot as she reached her hand out towards him. Pierce closed his eyes, grinning. A flash of hot white, and the assassin was flung across the room, smashing into the wall, sliding down into a smoking heap.

Retra stood up, frightened, "You're Sith?!" she whimpered, "You've been cheating this whole time, I knew it!" she pointed her sharply manicured nail at Jaesa.

"What the hell, woman," Pierce said, standing up, cradling his arm, "She just saved your life,"

"I'm calling security," Retra held up her comm as if she needed to demonstrate to them.

"No, you're not," Jaesa said quietly, knocking the comm from her grip. Retra screamed as if Jaesa had hurt her, though she hadn't at all. Diving to the ground, Retra picked up the assassin's fallen blaster, desperately aiming at Jaesa, "Really?" Jaesa asked, amused, "You think that'll hurt me?" She laughed, not in her pleasant way, but a terrible, frightening way. Pierce shivered at the sound with both fear and pleasure, "Go ahead, see how that works for you," Jaesa held out her palms toward Retra, smiling manically. Retra steadied herself for the shot, but she never had a chance.

A final shot was fired, blazing right through the general's temple. Pierce stood triumphantly, holding the blaster that had been hidden in his jacket, "That felt good," he remarked happily, grinning as he pocketed it.

"As I would imagine," Jaesa replied. She smiled at him, glad he finally got back some revenge. Nothing like death for closure to help one sleep at night. Turning to the door, though, she could tell there was still some problems. The door was locked, as per security protocol when an overseer droid is destroyed. Indeed, teams of security were heading right for them; a hasty exit was necessary.

Pierce looked at the window, "That's our best way out," he said, aiming his blaster at it. But the bolt merely dissolved into the glass, uselessly, "Well, damn,"

"Hang on," Jaesa stepped to the window, placing her palm flat on it. Summoning the Force, a mass of cracked spider webbed out, radiating from her hand. Removing her hand, the glass fell down in a broken curtain in a musical way. She smirked at Pierce, who seemed awestruck by her trick.

"Now, that's handy," he breathed. The cool night air flowed in, cooling his face. Traffic buzzed around in steady streams, billions of people going about their lives. He stood next to Jaesa, staring out the open window, "Now what?" he asked, pensive because he had a pretty good idea what the answer was.

Jaesa beamed with excitement, "We jump!"

"Oh, no," Pierce gulped. Sure, he could take on whole commandos of special ops or invade high security bases, but jumping out of windows, countless meters above the ground? He felt a little sick, "Ah, maybe I'll just handle fighting security…" he said, stepping back.

"No, Pierce," Jaesa grabbed his hand, holding tight, "This is the best way, we'll jump together, I'll take care of us," she placed her hand on his cheek, gazing into his brown eyes, "I promise nothing will happen. On the count of three," She pulled him to the ledge. His stomach twisted as he looked down. The duracrete sidewalk was at least a kilometer down.

"Maybe there's a better way," he tried to convince her not to.

"Three…"

"Surely we could take down their security,"

"…Two…"

"Or just run past them really fast,"

"…One…"

"Aw, damn," he sighed in resignation.

Holding hands tightly, they jumped. Jaesa squealed with delight as she fell, the icy air rushing all around her. Faintly, she could hear Pierce yelling, but his cries were torn away by the wind. She laughed, almost hysterical with glee, oh the exhilaration. But their fall would soon come to an end, and she needed to be sure it wouldn't be their end. Reaching her hand out in front of them, focusing on the Force, the world seemed to slow down. Speeders moseyed around them, garnering surprised looks from the drivers.

A speeder rushed below her, perfectly placed. The world sped up back to normal time as they landed in the back seat of the speeder, basically unhurt. The driver, a Nemoidian, screamed in surprise, the ship veering off course. "Drive!" Jaesa yelled at him, pointing Pierce's blaster at him. Regaining control, he flew back into the stream of traffic. Beside her, Pierce was still clinging to her hand, trembling slightly. Apparently, heights did bother him as much as he tried to say. But he's a strong man, he'll get over it, she told herself. Turning back, she looked and saw a whole squad of about five police droids closing in behind them. Pierce saw this too, and turned to the Nemoidian.

"Time for you to go, mate," he said, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck. The Nemoidian screamed frantically, but Pierce easily hauled him out of the drivers' seat and into the air. Jaesa reached to the falling Nemoidian with the Force, gently guiding him to a harmless crash landing on the sidewalk a few meters below, where he angrily waved his fist and screamed obscenities at them, "Such a lady," Pierce commented on Jaesa's mercy as he climbed into the drivers' seat, taking control of the wheel. Immediately, he swerved the speeder into the next lane, trying to shake the cops.

Jaesa, still holding his blaster, hopped into the passenger seat. She turned to face their pursuers, and quickly fired the blaster, the five shots taking down three of the squad in one hit. Pierce whistled as he heard the explosions, "Good shot, my lord!" he praised her, "Hold on,"

Placing his arm across Jaesa protectively, he slammed the brakes to stop the speeder, nearly launching the both of them out of their seats. Then, he turned off the repulsors, causing the speeder to drop like a rock. He gritted his teeth as he held on, but Jaesa was giggling like a little girl beside him. Her brown hair was swirling like a halo around her face, her smile radiating like a beacon of joy. Well, damn, he thought, she's beautiful. They fell through traffic, the remainders of the squad flying overhead. Before the cops would have a chance to correct their trajectory course, Pierce revved the engine back to life, swerving around in a full circle. Quickly, they turned the corner of a skyscraper, leaving the cops in their dust.

Beside him, Jaesa was still laughing, wiping tears from her eyes. Pierce parked the stolen speeder on the sidewalk of an empty street and climbed out. Jaesa, lightheaded from the thrill, nearly fell over as she climbed out, but he caught her before she could, "Steady now, Jaesa," he chuckled, setting her back on her feet. For a moment, she lingered in his arms, grinning at him. The wild look left her eyes, leaving a more serious, smoldering one in its place. Before, those strange gold eyes had always unnerved Pierce; now they still did, but not because he was afraid. In fact, he was the least afraid of her now than he ever was.

Slowly, Pierce closed his eyes and leaned towards her, tilting his head. Jaesa closed her eyes, heart swimming in excitement, ready for this moment. His warm breath tickled her face as he almost reached her-

Swarms of sirens began going off in the distance as the droid cops returned, "Seriously?" Pierce groaned, frustrated. Jaesa sighed dejected, "Damn it, well, here," he quickly pecked her on her soft cheek, then grabbed her hand so they could run more.

"Close enough, I suppose…" She muttered, running behind him.


End file.
